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Monday, March 28, 2011

The Military Service of George W. Bush

FACT :George W. took tests to enter the Guard, and despite scoring low on the entrance exam, Bush was accepted.

FACT: George W. never made up five months of drills he missed in 1972.

FACT:George W. was given gratuitous points so that he could fulfill requirements.

FACT:George W. failed an annual physical examination and no longer allowed to fly as of August 1, 1972.

People may just not know, but George W. displayed terrible accountability during his tenure in the Texas Air National Guard. To me, it is hard to imagine that a future President of the United States would have displayed such unaccountability towards his duties as a reservist in the Texas Air National Guard, and then become the President. Do you think he was a good role model? Records show that George W. graduated from Yale University (commendable), and he became eligible for the draft so that it was no secret that his ulterior motive would be so that it would minimize his chances of being dispatched to Vietnam. He took tests to enter the Guard, and despite scoring low on the entrance exam, Bush was accepted. George W was given a honorable discharge in 1973, and many believe since he signed a 6-year obligation that the rules required that he attend at least 44 inactive-duty training drills each fiscal year beginning July 1. But Bush's own records show that he fell short of that requirement, attending only 36 drills in the 1972-73 period, and only 12 in the 1973-74 period. He was assigned to the Houston Air National Guard base between 1968 and 1973, as he graduated from flight school in November 1969, following his fathers footsteps as a pilot. Then he decided to go further with 6 months of training in the F-102 fighter-interceptor. For almost 2 years until May of 1972, he flew frequently with his unit.
In May of 1972, he moved to Alabama to work on Winston Blount's Senate Campaign. Three months later, George W. failed an annual physical examination and no longer allowed to fly as of August 1, 1972. Since then, here are the following FACTS....

1) No duty with the National guard between April 16 and October 28, 1972.

2) No duty in December 1972, nor in the months of February and March in 1973.

3) No military records that show that he served ANY military unit in Alabama.It is a requirement of members of the National Guard that they accumulate a minimum of 50 service points in a year. (Each full day of weekend training is worth two points).

4) He accumulated only 41 points and awarded an additional 15 'gratuitous' service points - enough to get him across the 50 service points threshold.

5) Last day of service was July 30, 1973 when he was originally supposed to serve through November 1974.

6) He was honorably discharged early to enable him to attend Harvard Business School.

7) During his last two years of his obligation, Bush did not comply with Air Force regulations that impose a time limit on making up missed drills.

8) Bush never made up five months of drills he missed in 1972.

Prior to both of his terms as President, he was questioned about his service, whether he completed his military service in the National Guard. The Boston Globe reported that "there is no evidence that he appeared for duty for a year just before his 1973 discharge from the Texas Air National Guard" In 2004 during his re-election campaign, his lack of record in the military service surfaced again.

In summary from most accounts, Bush appears to have received preferential treatment to get into the Air National Guard and avoid the draft after he graduated from Yale University in 1968. He was initially regarded as a good pilot, but his performance faded over his final two years in the Guard and he was suspended from flight status. He did not fly for the remaining 18 months he served in the Guard, though he was obligated to do so. And for significant chunks of time, Bush did not report for duty at all. His superiors took no action, and he was honorably discharged in 1973, six months before he should have been.